In the sport of golf, experienced players understand the importance of “squaring up” to the target and to the ball at address. As a general formulation, the concept of “squaring up” means to align one's body when addressing the golf ball to ensure that the player is appropriately positioned with respect to both the golf ball and the intended target of the player's shot. A player, in general, hits the ball in the direction in which the player is aligned, and if this alignment does not correspond to the intended target, then the shot most likely will be off line also. With consistency in the setup and address, a player will be more confident in his ability to repetitively hit the ball squarely and in the direction intended.
For inexperienced players, however, the correct alignment is often unintuitive and difficult to master. As a result, an inexperienced player will often develop a habitual misalignment at address, and may introduce swing flaws as an unconscious attempt to compensate for this misalignment. Golf instructors traditionally have used several techniques in attempting to teach proper alignment to students. Such techniques include the use of 2 clubs placed on the ground, plastics rods/sticks, and/or the like. Such techniques are of limited effectiveness, especially when practiced by inexperienced players without the guidance of an instructor.
Hence, there is a need for more robust techniques and tools to train players of all abilities the correct alignment when addressing a golf ball. It would be helpful if such tools and techniques could be implemented by an inexperienced player without the need for professional instruction, and/or if such tools could be easily transported (e.g., in a typical golf bag) and set up, to allow a player to engage in training without significant logistical difficulties.